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August 5, 2011

South Florida Radiation Oncology on the Forefront of Cancer Treatment with the TrueBeam(TM) Radiotherapy System from Varian Medical Systems

by Sam Savage

BOCA RATON and JUPITER, Fla., Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a promising development for cancer patients in The Palm Beach area, South Florida Radiation Oncology announced today that it has acquired the TrueBeam system, an innovative system that enables a radically different approach to treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy.

The TrueBeam system, from Varian Medical Systems, was engineered from the ground up to deliver more powerful cancer treatments with pinpoint accuracy and precision. It uniquely integrates new imaging and motion management technologies within a sophisticated new architecture that makes it possible to deliver treatments more quickly while monitoring and compensating for tumor motion, opening the door to new possibilities for the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, as well as other cancers that are treatable with radiotherapy. South Florida Radiation Oncology is the only cancer center in the palm beaches and the treasure coast with the TrueBeam system and is now available in both the Boca and Jupiter location.

"TrueBeam is a real game-changer that will enable us to treat even the most challenging cases with unprecedented speed and precision," said Ben Han, MD, Radiation Oncologist. "With a broad spectrum of new capabilities, TrueBeam breaks the mold in just about every dimension, making it possible for us to offer faster, more targeted treatments to tumors even as they move and change over time. We are very excited to be the first radiation oncology center in Florida to offer this amazingly precise treatment."

High Speed Treatments

With dose delivery rates that are 40-140 percent higher than earlier generations of Varian technology, the TrueBeam system can complete a treatment faster. This makes it possible to offer greater patient comfort by shortening treatments, and to improve precision by leaving more time for tumor targeting accurately. "Intuitive" automation further speeds treatments with an up to fivefold reduction in the number of steps needed for image guidance and dose delivery.

Simple treatments that once took 15 minutes or more can be completed in less than two once the patient is in position. "These are significant reductions in treatment time," said Dr. Eugene Shieh, Radiation Oncologist.

Enhanced Precision

TrueBeam can be used for radiotherapy treatments including image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery (IGRT and IGRS), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), RapidArcÃ® radiotherapy and gated RapidArc.

The precision of the TrueBeam system is measured in increments of less than a millimeter. This accuracy is made possible by the system's sophisticated architecture, which synchronizes imaging, patient positioning, motion management, beam shaping and dose delivery, performing accuracy checks every ten milliseconds throughout the entire treatment. Critical data points are measured continually as a treatment progresses, ensuring that the system maintains a "true isocenter," or focal point of treatment.

For lung and other tumors subject to respiratory motion, TrueBeam offers gated RapidArcÃ® radiotherapy, which makes it possible to monitor patient breathing and compensate for tumor motion while quickly delivering dose during a continuous rotation around the patient. "During the last decade, lung cancer became the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States," said Drs Han and Shieh. "With TrueBeam, we can treat a moving lung tumor as if it were standing still(1). We expect this to make a meaningful difference for lung cancer patients in the area."

"With TrueBeam, we can select the optimal treatment for every type of cancer," said Dr. Ben Han, MD. "This is a breakthrough that lets us bring a wider spectrum of advanced radiotherapy treatment options to many more patients. It represents a quantum leap in our ability to help people fight cancer."